


Symphony

by Annuska



Series: Sonadow Week 2019 [4]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, References to Drugs, Sonic 2006, Spoilers, but like very minor references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-06 18:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17350631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annuska/pseuds/Annuska
Summary: An AU(ish) take on a moment in the last story from Shadow’s perspective.





	Symphony

“You… you’re alive.” **  
**

He remembered every awful moment leading up to this one: the unease that crept across him as he refastened his power inhibitors; the blinding white light enveloping everything around them; the formless void they reappeared in, and worst of all—worst of all,  _his_  body lying there motionless, just like—

But now he stood, face to face with Sonic again, the golden shimmer of his superpowered form radiating light off of his mended body like he were a deity. In some ways, in the back of his mind, Shadow had always sensed that phantasmal aura from the blue hedgehog, and if his spirit dancing in the wind and refusing to leave just yet wasn’t proof of it, Shadow didn’t know what was.

A slow grin crept across Sonic’s face, and he tilted his head ever slightly down closer to Shadow’s. “What can I say? I die hard.”

Shadow bit his lip, anger rising on impulse. How could Sonic joke like that when only seconds ago— _seconds!_ —he’d been  _dead_? How could he, in front of friends who had only moments ago wept for him? How could he, when it was all Shadow could do to keep his own composure? Ever since he’d woken up for the second time—for the  _first_  time—he kept so many things buried deep, keeping his intense focus on his goals. He’d set to his face a mask of stoicism for so long, he no longer knew where it ended and he began. The anger rose higher, and then transformed without warning, morphing to the overwhelming emotions that Shadow tried so hard to keep closed up inside of him, and it erupted that way.

It was always that damn blue hedgehog.

And so the anger faded and he crumbled, without a thought to who saw, he fell into Sonic and pulled him close and the golden shimmer didn’t just radiate light, it radiated a warmth. A warmth so healing, it ran through Shadow’s veins with a lightness that was more lifting and soothing than any drug could wish to be. He trembled and he tried so hard to keep the tears at bay, but it was too much, and so they fell from his eyes as the words tumbled from his lips. “I thought you were  _dead_. I thought we lost you. I thought  _I_  lost you.”

He felt Sonic’s arms wrap around him, slowly, and the warmth of his cheek touched Shadow’s, and so did the wetness of Sonic’s own tears, yet still, he joked: “I had to get you back for the ARK somehow, faker.”

Shadow lifted a hand to Sonic’s chest, hitting him weakly as a laugh escaped him despite himself. He pulled back, staring into Sonic’s red eyes with his own, and he smiled as if flowers bloomed in his chest and petals fell from his lips. It took him a moment to realize the elevation he felt wasn’t just emotional, and that Sonic had begun to lift off the ground again, now with Shadow in his arms, and the transformation felt so natural—the residual energy of the Chaos Emeralds, channeled through him as Sonic locked him in a rising kiss—he barely had to even think about going super.

And when he opened his eyes again, Shadow could swear the formless void around them had transformed too—into endless nebulae and galaxies, bursting with light and color in the nothingness that enveloped the rock they floated on. He pulled back from Sonic slowly, their hands still intertwined, silver and gold light mixing into stardust that scattered off their bodies. He lifted his hand away from Sonic’s, and brought it up to Sonic’s face, wiping the tears away. He held it there, and Sonic held Shadow’s face, and even with all of time and space broken around them, everything was okay. Everything was right.

“Let’s do this,” Sonic grinned.

“Let’s go,” Shadow whispered back.

“Yo, Silver! You coming?”

Silver, staring wide-eyed at the two hedgehogs floating above him, snapped out of his stupor. He nodded at Sonic in dumbfoundment, and shouted as he floated after them: “Yep! Yep. I’m coming.”

**Author's Note:**

> Day #4 of sonadow-week at Tumblr!
> 
> Prompt: favorite AU/canon moment


End file.
